Encouraging News

Some random headlines you might have missed. Pass them along.

1) Sarah Palin a strong pro-life advocate

"As many as 80 percent of unborn children diagnosed with Down syndrome become victims of abortion, but Alaska Gov, Sarah Palin didn’t let her child become a statistic…'We knew through early testing he would face special challenges, and we feel privileged that God would entrust us with this gift and allow us unspeakable joy as he entered our lives,' she said. 'We have faith that every baby is created for good purpose and has potential to make this world a better place. We are truly blessed.'"

2) Palin in favor of teaching creation science

"Republican Sarah Palin said she thinks creationism should be taught alongside evolution in the state's public classrooms....'Teach both. You know, don't be afraid of information. Healthy debate is so important, and it's so valuable in our schools. I am a proponent of teaching both.'"

3) Jindal signs "intelligent design" bill

"Lousiana Governor Bobby Jindal signed into law the Louisiana Science Education Act, ensuring the state’s teachers their right to teach the scientific evidence both for and against Darwinian evolution. The bill enjoyed surprisingly overwhelming support from lawmakers. It was passed unanimously by the Louisiana state senate, and pased the state House by a vote of 93-4."

4) Ex-Muslim named president of Baptist college

"Caner, 37, is the son of a devout Islamic leader and most of his family, including his father, has disowned him. He converted to Christianity in 1982 with the help of a Christian friend who invited him to a prayer meeting at a Southern Baptist church."

Baptist Church vs. Bible Church

The church we’ve been attending has changed its name from Baptist Church to Bible Church. It has also changed its denomination: it now takes out an ad under “Nondenom-inational” in the local paper.

But we’re kind of hesitant to jump on board and toss aside the Baptist distinction without a good reason. Read “Trail of Blood” or any other Baptist history book to find out why. They’re called Baptists for a reason and they’re distinguished from every other denomination for a reason.

That doesn’t mean there aren’t good New Testament churches with nondescript designations: community church, chapel, bible church, etc. It’s one thing if you’ve always been a Bible Church and are still baptistic in principle. But I’m a little leery of a Baptist church that wants to stop being Baptist in order to intentionally become something more vague and innocuous.

We were told, “Baptist doesn’t mean anything anymore.” But does “Nondenominational Bible Church” clarify anything? Wouldn’t every denomination say they believe the Bible?

The problem with “nondenominational” is that it doesn’t mean a single thing…or it can mean everything. It’s a Rorschach ink blot. It’s like saying your college major is “Undeclared.” But I guess that’s appealing to a lot of people.

Are we wrong to think this whole change is somewhat odd?

Who controls this world?

I heard a pastor recently say that Satan is in charge of this world. This is a topic I’m continuing to study, but at this point I’d have to say I disagree with him. Of course, if you disagree with me feel free to say so.

Believing Satan is king of earth is a key com-ponent of dispen-sational theology, and it’s a good example of how dispensationalism can infect your entire worldview. In dispen-sational theology Satan is destined to gradually overtake the entire world and God’s kingdom can’t be inaugurated until after that happens.

Those who claim this is Satan’s world rely on verses like Ephesians 2: 2 which refers to him as “the prince of the power of the air”; or 1 Peter 5: 8 which says, “the devil, like a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” But they miss the bigger narrative.

Satan did have relatively unchecked power over the nations of this world…up until Christ came. In the ancient world, only a small enclave called Israel was even exposed to the redemptive promise of the Messiah. The rest of the nations had no choice but to follow Satan because that’s all they knew. At that time Satan was effectively the prince of this world.

But when Christ came everything changed. The kingdom was inaugurated and Satan’s power was significantly diminished. John the Baptist announced, “the kingdom of God is at hand” (Mark 1: 15), and Jesus proclaimed, “now shall the prince of this world be cast out” (John 12: 31).

Remember when the Pharisees accused Christ of using the power of Satan to cast out demons? “And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils,” He said, “by whom do your children cast them out?...But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? And then he will spoil his house” (Matt. 12: 27-29). So Christ’s first advent signaled not just the inauguration of the kingdom, but the binding of the “strong men” (Satan and his demons).

How could this be? We know that “the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof” (Psalms 24: 1). Prior to Christ coming, Satan was a temporary usurper. But God gave His Son the authority to reclaim His creation: “All power is given unto me in heaven and earth” (Matt 28: 18). “He that cometh from above is above all…The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand” (John 3: 31, 35).

By dying for the sins of all, Christ “…blott[ed] out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us…nailing it to his cross; and having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it” (Col. 2: 14, 15). The principalities and powers he spoiled were Satan’s.

It is an ongoing conquest. The kingdom grows gradually (Matthew 13: 31-33), consuming all earthly kingdoms (Daniel 2: 34-44); it does not appear suddenly and full-blown on day one. Satan still has power, but he is not in control. He no longer owns entire nations. He is reduced to prowling at night, picking off individuals. With each passing century his dominion is decreased, even as his tactics become more desperate and blatant.

Since Christ’s resurrection, God has set Him “at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: and hath put all things under his feet” (Eph 1: 20-22). God the Father has told Christ “sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool” (Psalm 110: 1).

In the “fullness of times” God will “gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth” (Ephesian 1: 10).

First Corinthians 15 tells us that when Christ returns to resurrect the dead, “then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.”

When Christ comes back He is not going to start His kingdom; it’s already started. He’s going to deliver His kingdom up to His Father and the kingdom will continue for eternity in Heaven. Until that time, I believe, He has given His followers authority to reclaim the earth—not by force, but by spreading "the gospel of the kingdom" and the promise of spiritual regeneration. The meek "shall inherit the earth”—not be raptured out of it while Satan expands his empire.

“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace,” Christ said. “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

Verses to encourage home educators

And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up (Deut. 6: 5-7).

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding (Proverbs 9: 11).

Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD (Psalms 34: 11).

Choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD (Joshua 24: 15).

He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed (Proverbs 13:20).

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother: for they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck (Proverbs 1: 7-9).

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it (Proverbs 22: 6).

And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children (Isaiah 54: 13).

Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen (Jer. 10: 2).

And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6: 4).

Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate (Psalms 127: 3-5).

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth (I John 1: 4).

Verse of the month

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

2 Chronicles 7: 14

Lean on me

I’m an advocate of Christians making their voices heard in society.

Yesterday we were treated to this news: “After an outpouring of protest from homeschooling advocates and politicians, including Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Second District Court of Appeal in Los Angeles reversed its Feb. 28 ruling that could have reclassified most homeschooled children as truants.” The same court that had basically outlawed homeschooling came to the “realization” that it had made a mistake. If no one had leaned on them, the decision would’ve stood.

Many Christians are too timid about taking a positive role in society. The world seems so big, and so many struggles feel “wordly” and, frankly, insurmountable.

I remember reading once an interview with a TV network executive who said that every time he gets a letter from a viewer he assumes that 1,000 other people feel the same way but just didn’t bother to write letters. So in his case, one Christian writing a letter decrying an anti-Christian show would equal one thousand and one voices of concern.

In our small community last year the president of the local college decided to remove the cross from the campus chapel. He said it was an intolerant symbol. I had never cared about the icon itself, but here was a government official labeling Christianity offensive and setting a dangerous precedent that all visual reminders of Christ should be purged.

My instinct was to make my family’s voice heard, since this was our “backyard”: so I wrote letters to the newspaper and the Board of Visitors; we took the kids to a candle-light vigil on campus in the freezing rain; my wife and oldest son signed petitions; I was even interviewed by the local TV station and the daily newspaper. If it had just been us speaking out, we might not have made any difference. But thousands of other Christians did the same thing, and the combined effect sent an unmistakable message. The president put the cross back…and even lost his job over the matter.

Around that time a sweet and humble woman in my church named Raquel wrote a letter to the editor. She was troubled that no local pastors had a word to say about the controversy. This was happening in their own community and getting national attention, yet they were silent. They were focused inward, living their monastic lives, quietly complaining that the world around them was getting worse. This wasn’t even a political issue where pastors might have endangered their beloved tax exemption by speaking out. Her point seemed to be that the people in the pews had more gumption than the “professional” Christians.

I understand some Christians are uncomfortable about getting involved in messy things like the media, politics, education issues, etc. But thankfully many Christians aren’t. Without William Wilberforce the slave trade would not have been abolished in early nineteenth-century England. Without Roger Williams the concept of separating civil government from religious coercion would not have taken root in colonial America. Without John Leland there would probably be no Bill of Rights securing our freedom of religion, assembly and speech. And without thousands of ordinary Christian parents leaning on the leadership of California, homeschooling would be effectively illegal in that state.

This is God’s world, not Satan’s. And “with God all things are possible.”

(Sorry for the long post).

Anyone want to start a Christian homeschool in Malibu?

Who is the Antichrist?

According to the 1970s horror flick “The Omen,” it’s a bratty little boy named Damien. According to a bratty little boy in my third grade class, it was Ronald Wilson Reagan (6 letters in each of his 3 names: 6-6-6). According to a traveling evangelist speaking in our fundamentalist church a few years ago, it’s a slick European politician. Whoever it is, according to Tim LaHaye and Hal Lindsey, he’s almost certainly in our midst right now, on the verge of great political power (of course they’ve been saying that for decades).

So how can we ever know?

Actually, when you stick to the Bible you realize the whole question is wrong. There is no THE Antichrist. Antichrist is not a single “who.”

The word antichrist is used only 5 times in the Bible:

“Little children, it is the last time [the last days of Israel]: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time” (I John 2: 18).

“Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son” (I John 2: 22).

“And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world” (I John 4: 3).

“For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist” (II John 1: 7).

So antichrist is not a single man, but a belief: the belief that Jesus is NOT God’s son, the one and only Messiah. That’s all. That makes Oprah Winfrey’s philosophy antichrist. That makes Muslims antichrist. That makes Jehovah’s witnesses and Judaists and Unitarians antichrist. “These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you,” John says about the spirit of antichrist.

Lumping all Biblical references to evil into a composite future person named The Antichrist misses the point that that spirit is all around us and needs to be confronted every day in mundane settings.

Become a better ewe

Let Joel Osteen shepherd you through the gospel....



Of course, it's hard to get the message right when you're not sure what religion you belong to...